Conventional inkjet printers typically include one or more printheads in which ink is stored. Such printheads have one or more ink reservoirs in fluid communication with a nozzle plate through which ink is dispensed onto a print medium. In some cases, the printhead is adapted to be refilled with ink, such as by an ink-carrying cartridge that can be installed in the printhead and that can be replaced with another ink-carrying cartridge as needed.
In printheads having a removable and replaceable ink cartridge, an outlet of the cartridge is typically connected to a port or other structure of the printhead when the cartridge is installed within the printhead. This connection establishes fluid communication between a reservoir of ink within the cartridge and a fluid line of the printhead extending to the nozzle plate. To insure proper operation of the printhead, the interface between the cartridge outlet and the printhead should provide an uninterrupted path for ink moving from the cartridge toward the nozzle plate. The path can be interrupted, for example, by bubbles or when the cartridge outlet-to-printhead interface is allowed to dry out. In both cases, the printhead can lose prime, thereby stopping ink flow and causing printhead failure.
A clear and uninterrupted fluid path from a removable and replaceable ink cartridge to a printhead nozzle promotes proper operation of the printhead. Inkjet printheads are typically designed with this goal in mind, employing conventional materials and fluid flow features promoting free ink movement from the cartridge to the nozzle plate.